I read another classic book the other day. Actually, I re-read it. The first time I read Lord of the Flies had to be in sixth or seventh grade, which was quite a long time ago, needless to say. Surprisingly, I remembered quite a bit of it as soon as I started reading. All the major characters were instantly familiar to me, and it was interesting to compare the impressions I had of the characters from my childhood with how I perceive them now. As a child, I identified strongly with Ralph, thought Piggy to be weak and strongly disliked Jack for his bullying ways. I had no recollection of Ralph's weakness of mind, and conversely how Piggy's maturity and intellect would have been valuable to the group had they let him be so. If he was still alive, William Golding would be horrified to learn that I also thought of the television shows Lost and Survivor while reading the book. On Lost, the character Jack is basically (and ironically) a grown-up Ralph. Like the book, both shows highlight how irrational people can be, and how easily societal structures can break down.